Word on the street is that The Expendables 2 will carry a PG-13 rating when it comes to theaters. If you are thinking it’s an odd move to take an R rated movie’s sequel and water down the language (or excessive violence) to a PG-13, it’s really not that strange. (Remember Die Hard 4? Yeah, I tried to forget it too as soon as it was over. And every day ever since…) The issue here is the reasoning. Because it’s stupid.

But first, let’s remember that typically the reason to downgrade is something like “hey if we make this PG-13 it means more people can see it and that means more money!” Which is the same logic behind the latest 3D surge. It’s not very sound, not very artistic, but at least it’s not totally stupid. I’m sure there are instances too where the story just isn’t as brutal/sexy/whatever in tone as the first, so there really is no legitimate reason to throw in some extra dialogue in order to receive an R rating. (The exception to this rule is Snakes on a Plane. That movie, without Samuel L. Jackson’s signature line, would have been loathed upon release. Granted, it wasn’t a blockbuster, but without that line the entire audience that did go see it would have left the theater in a really bad mood).

But what’s behind the rating change for The Expendables 2? Chuck Norris. He agreed to be in the movie if they would take out the foul language. So they did. Cool. Why did he want it to be toned down in the words department? Because that way more kids can see it. For real.

“In Expendables 2, there was a lot of vulgar dialogue in the screenplay. For this reason, many young people wouldn’t be able to watch this. But I don’t play in movies like this. Due to that I said I won’t be a part of that if the hardcore language is not erased. Producers accepted my conditions and the movie will be classified in the category of PG-13.”

This is stupid because while Chuck Norris has a problem with kids hearing swearing, he apparently has no problem with them watching people violently beating other people to death.

I’m cool with the ratings downgrade if you want it to be less violent and have less foul language so more kids can see it and be inspired by an actual story or ideas or themes. But this is The Expendables, so there’s not a whole lot of substance going on. And no one should think a child hearing “shit” twenty times is worse than them seeing someone’s head get kicked so hard it splatters.

I wasn’t sure if I would even see the sequel, but with this news and Chuck Norris’s plans to turn the move into an extended episode of Walker Texas Ranger, you can definitely count me out.

If you haven’t seen this already, be sure to check it out – a superb (and oddly, rejected) submission for the Doritos Crash the Superbowl 2012 contest made by some friends of mine.

If you like this video please help us see if we can get Doritos to reconsider by tweeting this: http://clicktotweet.com/dlO2L

Written by: Jack Dreesen, John Ramsey & David Ward
Directed by: David Ward & John Ramsey
Produced by: Jack Dreesen, John Ramsey & David Ward

Starring: Byron Brown

To check out more of their work (and the list of ingredients) head over to the video’s YouTube page.

You may remember hearing about this movie focused on brothers in a mixed martial arts tournament earlier in 2011. You may have seen some TV spots, maybe some internet ads, and a whole lot of positive tweets – but if you’re like me, you didn’t see the movie in theaters. Why? Well, it didn’t look all that interesting. I don’t remember seeing a full trailer for it at any point, just short tv spots and blurbs online, and the previews I did see weren’t compelling. But I kept seeing positive buzz online, and then this past weekend I found the movie available to rent through Redbox.

The story focuses on two brothers, Brendan and Tommy, and their father, Paddy. It’s clear from the beginning that they’ve had a rough life up to this point. Tommy returns to his dad’s house, mostly silent but a tough-as-nails hulk of a guy. Paddy taught them how to wrestle as children, and Tommy asks him to train him once again for a mixed martial arts tournament that’s coming up. He makes it clear he doesn’t want to talk or bond with his father, just train. All business. His motivation for all of this is revealed gradually throughout the film.

Brendan is a teacher with a wife and children who is about to lose his house to foreclosure. He put his wrestling to use earlier in life as a UFC fighter, and now he goes to small night fights to pick up extra cash on the side. This complicates things and leads to him also train (with an old friend) to enter the same tournament.

Throughout the course of the film the guys train and we explore their family’s history and how it brought them to where they are – it’s all in bits and pieces, and contrary to what you may think, it’s very compelling. The storytelling is fantastic here, and the three leads are all perfect in their respective roles.

Nick Nolte is subtle yet powerful as a recovering alcoholic desperate to make up for lost time with his children. Joel Edgerton’s character is focused and determined, anything but a quitter. And then there’s Tom Hardy’s Tommy. He’s quiet, mean, hostile and aggressive – all of which is explained by the things we learn about him and his past along the way. In a few particularly powerful scenes, he unloads on his father before showing a completely different side, one which is only hinted at and vaguely referenced up until that point. He’s the toughest character in the story, but it’s because of his childhood. He expects complete and utter vulnerability before he will show it in return – and it’s then and only then that he does so.

I don’t want to spoil anything because the story is really captivating and worth experiencing, but as you’d expect the film climaxes with the brothers being the last two opponents in the tournament. The final fight is a powerful moment, and it grabs you and holds you up until the very end even if you don’t realize it – you may even find yourself in tears by the time the credits roll.

I loved Hugo because it was a celebration of the power of movies. But now that I’ve seen Warrior, it is definitely the best picture of 2011 in my opinion – because it is that power. An underrated, inspiring, and deeply moving film that I encourage you to check out.

You’d think that after seeing this I would be bursting at the seams with excitement! And I am – for the most part (more on that in a bit). This is only a preview, but from what we can see it looks like the tone and atmosphere of LOTR has been carried over well to The Hobbit. These stories are going to make sense and feel like they fit in the same world, and that’s not just good, that’s great! With a decade in between, I think it was legitimate for all of us to be concerned as to how well the stories would fit together visually.

Honestly, there’s not much to say, just keep watching this thing over and over because this glimpse looks promising as can be. My only doubts relate to the 48 frames per second rate at which they decided to film (due to the 3D gimmick) and how that will change the movie-going experience. I haven’t decided whether or not I’ll actually go see this because of that. If the next few trailers improve on what is already a stellar preview, there’s a strong chance I’ll be visiting the theater and giving it a shot.

If you’ve read about or seen The Dark Knight Rises trailer or prologue this past week, you’ve probably heard a lot of folks complaining about how impossible it is to hear/understand Bane. Now there are rumors running rampant online that WB execs are nervous and frantic to get Nolan to clear up the sound quality while he’s editing the movie, driven by fears that the audience will dwindle or disappear due to this single issue and the movie won’t perform well. This situation irks me, because it’s stupid.

First of all, I have seen the prologue but it was one of the short-lived bootlegs that made its way online. The mix was awful and muffled, the screen was dark (due to the camera being held so low and filming from the shadows), but man was I pumped after seeing it! I would head to the theater to get the full experience, but unfortunately there are no IMAX theaters projecting 70mm film prints in the entire states of Kansas and Missouri. So the bootleg was my only route until it’s officially released online or the full movie hits theaters next summer.

Even without the superior surround sound mix of an IMAX theater, I could make out at least 75% of what Bane was saying. He’s really not that hard to understand. You won’t pick up every single word, and there will definitely be lines that you miss, but the rest I inferred, and was then able to piece together with repeat views. And you know what? I loved that. I absolutely loved it.

Nolan’s been very vocal about the film he’s trying to make. It’s similar to what he did last time – he wants an event movie. A big, fun, engaging experience. The key word is experience – it’s not just a matter of you sitting in the theater seat, watching the screen and listening to big BOOMS around you for two hours. It’s something much, much more than that. A return to those mind-blowing trips to the theater, like your first time seeing a movie and being absolutely floored and at the same time utterly sucked in to the world before you. Those movies aren’t as common in these days when the scale has tipped again toward the commercial factor (don’t worry, the cycle will continue and the next content revolution is purely a matter of time).

A full blown movie-going experience isn’t just one that hypnotizes you (though those are nice sometimes), it’s one that engages you, that invites you to participate. I’s when you aren’t just listening, but actively listening, actively searching the frame and piecing the story together in your mind that you are participating in a movie-going experience that tops all others. You are looking at the film like you do your own life each day, you consider everything that’s happened up to the present moment, and then you try to predict the best move for moving forward. That’s often something you don’t see coming, some plot twist or kink that bewilders and thrills you, but that’s not really the point of participation. The point is that for all intents and purposes, in that moment you are experiencing the movie as if it’s real.

To be submerged in a film like that and to have that kind of rich, deep, connective experience is the highest achievement a movie can reach.

So yes. I want to hear most of what Bane says, but not all. I want to have to actively participate in The Dark Knight Rises. And I want to be able to go back later and put more pieces of the puzzle together to fill in the gaps.

I’m excited to see what’s in store for us as this story comes to a close next summer.

The first full trailer for closing chapter of Nolan’s Batman story is here! First of all, watch it, and then, wow.

We have a hulking, intimidating enemy in Bane – though his brute force isn’t on display in this trailer other than in brief glimpses of what looks to be an epic fight downtown, it’s clear that he’s got a massively destructive plan and it involves a lot of moving parts. From the freed prisoners to the camouflage tumblers – and especially the football field – Bane is going to be a huge, oppressive force coming into Gotham. And remember Alfred’s words in the beginning of this trailer. He’s worried about Bruce, something is wrong here. The stakes will clearly be high.

And Selina Kyle/Catwoman? Her dialogue is suitably ambiguous in this preview. She’s talking about Wayne Enterprises and the few rich vs. the many poor, but does she also do any fighting against criminals? Maybe steal stolen things back? Does she have any idea that Bruce is Batman? I’m intrigued, and happy with the fact that I still don’t really know whether she’s bad, good, or both.

And how awesome is Bane’s single line? “When Gotham is ashes, you have my permission to die.” He’s being portrayed as such a threatening figure in this campaign, and with so much emphasis on “the legend ends,” that I can’t help but think that by the end of this movie Bruce Wayne will no longer be Batman. Whether that means he dies and another takes up the mask, or he dies and Catwoman or others take the reins of Gotham’s vigilante justice, I don’t know. But from the looks of it, it’s going to be pure spectacle and the movie event of the summer, if not the year.